1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved truck stake and flat bed structures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many trailer structures have been devised for highway use in order to transport cargo. Some of these trailer structures are flat beds with vertical side walls for containing the cargo. To improve the versatility of the trailer structure it is desirable to convert a trailer without side walls to a trailer with side walls and vice versa. Thus, several trailer structures have been devised having removable vertical stakes and associated panels. Five of these structures are disclosed in the following five U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,126,224 issued to Carter et al; 2,222,335 issued to Dietrich; 1,363,059 issued to Shanahan; 3,174,592 issued to Berman et al; and 3,692,354 issued to Tuerk, of which this invention is an improvement. Other relevent prior art is shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Swanson 3,661,420 and Dill 571,514.
A major problem with several of the prior art convertible trailer structures is that a large amount of time is required to convert the structure from a flat bed trailer to a trailer having side and end walls. The vertically extending stakes are configured to fit and seat within a specific pocket channel secured to the periphery of the bed. These pocket brackets are of standard configuration; however, the internal dimensions of the pocket vary up to a maximum of one-half inch. Thus, the stakes are not interchangeable since they have a size configured to fit within their respective pockets. The present invention solves this problem by providing stakes having jacketed triangular shaped ends which fit within all the pocket brackets. For example, a single size stake might be used with jackets of three external sizes to handle all of the different sizes of stake pocket. The jacketed stakes of this invention not only provide greater interchangeability but also supply additional structural strength at the point of greatest stress.